Cartilage Sticking out After Nose Job? (photo)

   Tip irregularity at 5 months is not uncommon, and the tip is the last area from which swelling is to part.  Give yourself the full year.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Hello Fiona,

Thank you for the question and the photos.  Over the last 5 months the swelling in your nose has subsided dramatically and the body has healed the surgical area by depositing collagen.  This process has resulted in the skin being closer to the cartilage and perhaps some shifting of the cartilage underneath.  I would have your plastic surgeon take a look at you to see if this is what he/she was expecting.  You will likely have to wait longer for full healing to occur before considering a revision if needed.

All the best,

Dr. Remus Repta

 

Revision as best done at a year postoperative. So you have another 7 month to allow further hireling. 

What you are experiencing is the normal postoperative course for rhinoplasty...an evolving and changing nose that takes many months to settle into its final result. You are now seeing things that were not there initially as the overlying skin shrinks down around the changed underlying framework. You need to wait a minimum of 6 to 9 months after your surgery to let the nose stabilize and reveal the final nuances of its shape. At that time, the consideration of a revision may be considered if the issues you are seeing now remain or others become apparent.

It is difficult to see the lump that you mention in the photo views. It is probably best to be seen in person to see it better.  At 5 months you still want to wait until things soften more.